Electrical socket



Aug. 18, 1931'- sqm. KENERSON 1319,101

ELECTRICAL SOCKET Filed May 17', 1929 41 flew/3922101 I 6%? j lflfener pza' y Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STANLEY M. KENERSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO THE STANDARD ELECTRIC TIME COMPANY, 01! SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A COB- POBATION OF CONNECTICUT ELECTRICAL SOCKET Application filed May 17, 1929. Serial No. 863,972.

This invention relates to electric sockets or jacks particularly intended for use in a wall receptacle in hospital rooms for the purpose of attaching a switch or plug member whereby the patient may operate a number of slgnals to summon a nurse, although it will be understood that-the jack is adapted to other uses.

In my copending applications, Serial Nos. 305,809 and 305,810, both filed Se tember 13, 1928, I have shown and descril ied variant structures of cooperating lug and jack elements having corres onding multlple circuits selectively opera Is by a patient to control separate signals when the two elements are operatively associated; and in my said application, Serial N 0. 305,810, I have particularly described and claimed an electrical jack in which correspondin spring fingers are arranged on opposite si es of a conducting bar so that the fingers normally press against the bar and are thus electrically connected, the fingers being flexed away from the conducting bar when the plug is inserted between their free ends. As a result of this arrangement, all the signal circuits controlled by the normally contacting fingers are operated whenever the plug is removed from the jack, either by accident or design, and the signal li hts or buzzers will continue to function until the plug is replaced to open the I circuit.

' nated order electrically to disconnect the spring fingers by spreading them away from the conducting bar. This and other characteristic features of the present invention will be evident from the the appended claims.

recommended embodiment of the inven-. tion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the wall receptacle containing the jack, with a portion of the structure roken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line 22 of secured thereto as by bolts 8 orother suitable fastenings, said members havin registerin apertures 9 for the reception 0? a plug, and a jack 'housing 10 mounted on the plate 6 behind said opening as by screws 11. Recesses .12 are preferably provided in the cover 7 adjacent diagonally opposite corners of the opening 9 to receive corresponding studs carried by the plug, as hereinafter described. A bulls eye 13 may be arranged to be illumiwhen one or more of the pack circuits are operatively connected.

The housing 10' is formed of. insulation material and consists. of a rectangular shell or box having a central opening or chamber 14 and opposite recesses 15 in its sides. A U-shaped bridge or conducting bar '16 extends across the chamber 14: and has its following description and l of Fig. 3, showing the circuit opener outwardly flanged ends mounted in the respective recesses 15 by rivets 17 fast in the base of the housing 10;, and said rivets also secure the inner flanges of L-shaped spring members 18 -which extend longitudinally through the recesses 15 and have their free ends disposed in spaced relationship at opposite ends of the casing opening 9.

Several separate contact members or spring fingers 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 are mounted by means of screws 25 in individual recesses at the base of the housing, three of the six springs illustrated being arranged on opposite sides ofthe box. These contacts extend obliquely through the central opening 14 and normally bear against opposite edges of the bridge 16, as best shown in Fig. 4, thereby electrically to connect all the terminals together when the cooperating plug is withdrawn. The free forward ends of the spring fingers are preferably flared outwardly and are disposed in spaced parallel relationship within the casing opening 9 between the ends of the resilientmembers 18. A strip of insulation 26 may be interposed between one or more of the contact fingers (for example the finger 20, as shown in Fig. 4) and the bar 16 to prevent such finger or fingersfrom making contact with the bridge.

In order that said spring fingers may be electrically disconnected from each other without utilizing the operative plug element, a door 27 is preferably pivoted to the cover 7 above the opening 9, as by a pin 28 having its opposite ends rotatably mounted in recesses formed in the heads of the retaining bolts 8 as indicated at 29 in Fig. 1. The door 27 is made of insulation material and has a longitudinal Wedge member or projecting boss 30 which swings into theopening 9 and wedges between the flared forward ends of the spring fingers 19 to 24 inclusive, thereby to spread the fingers away from .the bridge 16. The ends of the wedge are received between the retaining springs 18 and may be formed with projections 31 which engage behind the bent ends of said springs frictionally to lock the door in closed position with the contact fingers spaced from the bridge 16 (Fig.2).

Thus the provision of the pivoted wedgecarrying door 27 in combination with a jack of the class described furnishes easy and convenient means for interrupting the electrical connection between the contact finger when the jack is to be temporarily out of use. The door does not detract from the appearance of the face of the wall receptacle and may readily be swung outwardly to permit the insegtion of an operative plug into the openmg A preferred type of plug for use with the jack is shown in Fig. 5 and is more fully described in my said application, Serial No. 305,809. In Fig. 5, theplug end 32 is provided with a projecting wedge member 33 of insulation material, which operates in the same manner as the door wedge 30 to spread apart the contact fingers of the jack when '4. An electrical the plug is forced therein; and said member has end studs 34 engageable by the retaining springs 18. The plug has contact terminals 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40, corresponding to the jack contacts 19 to 24 inclusive, said contacts mutually engaging when the plug is inserted into the ack. Projecting ins 41 are preferably provided on the plug ase to enter the corresponding recesses 12 in the cover 7 of the wall receptacle; and the complem ental projections and recesses are spaced at unequal distances from the vertical medial line of the opening 9, so that the plug will fit the opening when properly presented and can not be inserted in improper position.

Although my improved circuit disconnecting wedge is especially adapted for the jacks described in this and in my co-pending application, it will be understood that the precise construction of the jack is not essential to this invention and that I do not intendto restrict the invention to the particular structures or arrangements herein illustrated, ex-

having a plug opening and a cover for the opening pivotally attached to said plate to uncover the opening for the insertion of a plug, the cover having means engaging said contacts to open the circuit when swung to closed position,

jack comprising a housing ing containing a plurality of contacts normally forming a closed circuit and a front plate having a plu opening and a cover for the opening pivota ly attached to said plate to uncover the o ening for the insertion of a plug, the cover aving means engaging said contacts to open the circuit when swung to closed position.

' 3. An electrical jack comprising a housing having an opening at the front for the insertion of a plug, a conducting bridge extending across the openin spring fingers mpunted on the housing an normally bearing against the bridge, and an insulated wed e member oted to swing inwardly into the opening and engageable with said fingers to flex them away from the bridge, and resilient means for retaining the wedge in said position.

5. An electrical jack comprising a housing having an opening at the-front for the insertion of a plug, a conducting bridge extending across the opening remote from its mouth, spring contact fingers mounted on the housing and extending toward the mouth of the opening 0n 0pp0s1te sides of the bridge, said fin ers normally pressin inwardly against t e opposite edges of the bridge, electrically to interconnect the fingers, and a wedge member of insulation material pivoted to" swing inwardly into the mouth of the opening and to spread the fingers away from the bridge, thereby to open the circuits of the spring contacts.

6. An electrical jack comprising a housing having an opening at the front for the insertion of a plug, a conducting bridge extending across the opening remote from itsmouth, spring contact fingers mounted on the housing and extending toward the mouth of the opening on opposite sides of the bridge, said fingers normally pressing inwardly against the opposite edges of the bridge, electrically to interconnect the fingers, and a wedge member of insulation-material pivoted to swing inwardly into the mouth of the opening and to spread the fingers away from the bridge, thereby to open the circuits of the spring contacts, and springs mounted in the housing and extending toward the mouth of the opening at opposite ends thereof for resilientlygripping the ends of the wedge to retain the wedge in said position.

7. A wall receptacle comprising a cover having an opening therethrough, a ack housing mounted behind thecover and having a chamber accessible through the cover opening for the insertion of a plug, a "conducting bridge mounted across the chamber, spring contact fingers mounted in the housing and extending through the chamber toward said opening, the fingers being inclined inwardly from opposite sides of the housing and normally pressing against opposite edges of the bridge electrically to interconnect the fingers, a door pivoted on the front face of the cover to swing toward and from the cover opening, the door haying a projection of insulation material arranged to enter the opening when the door is closed and to extend between the free ends of the fingers thereby to spread the fingers away from the bridge, and resilient means for holding the wedge in said position.

8. A wall receptacle comprising a cover having an openmg therethrough, a jack housing mounted behind the cover and having a chamber accessible through the cover opening for the insertion of a plug, a conducting bridge mounted across the chamber, spring contact fingers mounted in the housing and extending through the chamber toward said opening, the fingers being inclined inwardly fromopposite sides of the housing and normally pressing against opposite edges of the bridge electrically to interconnect the fingers, a door pivoted on the front face of the cover to swing toward and'from the cover opening, the door having a projection of insulation material arranged to enter the opening when the door is closed and to extend between the free ends of the fingers therebyto spread the fingers away from the bridge, and retaining springs mounted on the housing and extending toward the cover opening at opposite ends thereof for resiliently gripping the ends of the wedge to hold the door in closed position.

Signed by me at Springfield, Massachusetts this fourth day of May, 1929.

STANLEY M. KENERSON. 

